Struggling with making social media posting work for you and a Facebook ad policy violation? I can help, I’ve worked at Meta and will give you more context on why this happens, how to avoid it and what to do if you get banned by Facebook.
And some top tips about what works for social media content posting and what not to do.
Don’t forget to read my last blog: How AI is going to kill SEO
Want to skip reading this article and just see if I can help with a Facebook ad account restriction? Schedule a discovery call here
Facebook ad policy is supposed to tell us how to stay out of Facebook jail and avoid ad bans that hit us like a TWISTER when our back is turned, focusing on KPIs and turning a profit.
Facebook Ad Policy:
I’ve worked at Facebook and see what you see when googling Facebook ad policy, with those generic headlines like:
TERMS AND POLICIES
HOW WE WORK
MORE POLICY TYPES
Clear as mud right? I’ll be helping you understand Facebook ad policy better in this article. You can also download my Facebook Ad Policies Checklist.
In this article today I’ll be revealing some of the reasons for disabled Facebook ad accounts, and how to navigate Facebook ad policy without risking a Facebook ban.
And I’ll be covering how to not make bullshit posts on Facebook and Instagram – where the lie is that content is king, so just keep posting and customers will come. I’ll expose why this is a lie and also what you SHOULD do to maximize your brand’s presence with social media content.
What sets my blog apart from all the other google results?
I’ve worked at Facebook in ads, tech and project management, high up at Facebook before and after it was rebranded to Meta.
So, you’re getting high quality info from someone who worked AT Facebook, not guesses from randos online. Also I’m a serial entrepreneur – I’ve owned dot coms during the dot com era, have started several businesses in ecom, literature, video broadcasting, SEO, public speaking, business education and more – in addition to helping everyone from Mark Cuban Companies to Method Man of Wutang Clan with Facebook ad policy issues and bans.
Wouldn’t you like to prevent Facebook from banning your ad account?
As Liana Lang, CEO of Power Up Strategy Inc. said, “Please meet Trevor, my ‘secret weapon’ for all things Facebook compliance. I highly recommend hiring him to help you out especially if you plan to be running ads.”
Want the same white glove treatment navigating Facebook shutdowns?
Click here, to schedule a discovery call.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room:
Are You Wasting Your Time Posting Social Media Content?
Marketing experts have discussed this problematic issue – posting just to post or actually build brand awareness online?
Just look at how much content is published on each platform daily:
- TikTok – 23 million
- YouTube – 216 million
- Facebook – 350 million
- X – 500 million
- LinkedIn – 2 million
- Instagram – 95 million
Let that marinate for a second.
Just between those 6 social networks, over 1.1 billion new pieces of content are being published.
That’s why social media doesn’t get as much engagement as you may want.
Sure, their algorithms aren’t as friendly to organic as they used to be… but the real issue is there is a lot of content from people to choose from. So, they expect more if you want their attention.
In the last 30 days, we analyzed 5,204,391 social media posts and 59.41% of them had no engagement.
That means no likes, no shares, or even comments. That’s crazy to think about.
It means a lot of people are wasting their time.
When you post content, chances are it’s going to be drowning in a sea of noise.
So, should you stop creating content for social media?
No, you should create content because it’s a great channel to market a company, product, service, or personal brand.
What you really need to do is adjust your strategy. If you don’t you’ll just be wasting your time.
For example, here are some big wasters in social media:
Time waster #1: Seeing what others post that is popular and posting something similar doesn’t work as well as one may think.
And trust me, I’ve tried it a lot.
The main reason it doesn’t work is because you are posting something that isn’t really new. Plus other people have already seen it because it was popular on someone else’s profile.
Time waster #2: Posting tons of content each day and hoping something sticks.
Not only are you wasting time, but the algorithms will crush you for this.
If you post a lot of junk content and then good content, the good content won’t get the reach it deserves because your crappy content is sending bad social signals.
The only way you can post tons of content and not really get penalized for it is to do it on X.
That’s what I do, test a lot on X and then ONLY post the good stuff on other social networks.
Time waster #3: Creating highly produced content.
No matter how nice your content looks, it doesn’t guarantee success if the content itself sucks.
To prove this, a top marketing firm analyzed 102,394 reels on Instagram and looked to see if people consumed more reels that added visual design elements.
Or if they consumed content that didn’t have visual design elements.
As you can see the majority of the short-form videos that performed well weren’t highly produced.
Just shows that in most cases spending an arm and a leg or production won’t just waste time, but it also wastes money.
So, what should we do instead, when strategizing posting social media content for our brand?
Tip #1: Post something new and fresh that people haven’t seen.
Tip #2: Don’t be afraid to have your own opinion… it makes your content stand out.
Tip #3: Provide value, from education to stats and data, and make sure people walk away with something.
Tip #4: Only leverage trends when it is related to your industry
Tip #5: Collaborate with other people within your space (it will amplify your reach even if they don’t have tons of followers).
Tip #6: Share stuff from your personal experiences, it’s hard for other people to replicate that.
Tip #7: Post the type of content each network wants, and go Live
As far as Tip #2 – so many brands are afraid to take a stand about their values and the kind of customer they want, that they don’t stand out as a generalist. If you try to appeal to everyone to appeal to no one, unless you have Coca Cola’s ad budget.
Organic social media posting strategies aside, let’s take a look at what happens when you try to pay for ads and get a Facebook ad policy ban.
Now, you may have noticed Facebook changes their ad policies A LOT!
Facebook Ad Policy Updates
Who are the Facebook changes really for?
I’m sure we’ve all seen the awkward testimonial from Mark Zuckerberg when he faced Congress. Anytime there is a PR fire – like Cambridge Analytica (I was working at Facebook when this happened), Facebook has to get out and do damage control.
Facebook’s policy is to change Facebook’s policy to show they are doing something about an issue. Even if those changes wreak havoc on advertisers just like you.
Facebook creates new ad automations to police Facebook ads more to please their stakeholders, and show the board they are doing something. What they don’t do is look at the big picture for how these new automations integrate with the existing Facebook bots.
Free eBook: Top 5 Reasons Agencies Fail at Facebook
What you consider normal may not be perceived the same by the bots that do the flagging within Facebook’s ecosystem. That’s why things get tricky. You may feel your ad copy sounds normal – but if you want to follow the Facebook ad policies, you gotta frame your copy specifically for Facebook’s website.
The delete Facebook movement continues to gain pace
Other celebrities who have quit the social network include pop singer Cher, Starwars actor Mark Hamill, actor and Will Ferrell. What you don’t hear about is the ad agencies who represented these celebrities and the money they lost.
BUT, as the platform becomes less crowded because Facebook is driving many away with all the issues with privacy or Facebook bans on advertisers, this leaves more room for you to make money on Facebook after you figure out the Facebook ad policy which I’ll help with.
(Check out my article Facebook ad account disabled next steps).
Lets cover some common Facebook ad policies that ad agencies often get banned for.
Here are a list of the facebook ad policies Facebook frequently drops the ban hammer on:
Facebook Ad Policy
VIOLENCE AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR SAFETY
OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT
INTEGRITY AND AUTHENTICITY
RESPECTING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CONTENT-RELATED REQUESTS AND DECISIONS
POLICIES
UPDATING OUR COMMUNITY STANDARDS POLICIES
ENFORCEMENT
SECURITY
FEATURES
OVERSIGHT
REPORTS
RESEARCH TOOLS
Many of these ad policies are triggered because marketers don’t keep Facebook ad policy in mind when making ads. Your first goal when designing ads should be to ask, “Will Facebook approve this ad?” THEN focus on the conversions aspect.
Facebook advertising policy principles explained
Facebook’s advertising principles are to keep the most amount of Facebook users on the platform without losing anyone to competitors like TikTok or Elon Musk’s Twitter.
Because of this, they are extra sensitive about how you say something. So a pro tip is to think like Facebook does when making ads, and be extra PC.
Did you already say something that got your Facebook ad account disabled?
Don’t get ripped off! Read How to Recover Facebook Ad Accounts now
#1: Name Your Page Accurately
May seem simple but a common mistake advertisers can make is to create a Facebook Business Page that doesn’t match their core audience or their core offer.
As a result, if there ever is an issue with Facebook ad policy, and Facebook looks at your Page that you barely put any effort into, and it’s blank or looks sketch, that’s a red flag to Facebook.
I would advise creating more than one Page if you run ads in multiple industries. Instead of using 1 Page to run all the ads for your clients, make sure to differentiate Pages per industry to give you a better chance of not being shadow banned.
#2: Have a Privacy Policy in Place if You Collect Data
Another easy miss that can get your entire funnel banned: a missing privacy policy. This is a legal document you need to get created before you run ads to a lander.
There are free privacy policy generators online, or you can get a lawyer to draw up one.
Just make sure to have it on the landing page you are sending traffic from Facebook to.
Facebook Ad Policy: Attention Agency Owners, Brand Marketers, and Consultants
It’s a lot easier to prevent Facebook bans than it is to try to bully Facebook into undoing a ban. Think about how this works out with your friends.
When you prove your friend wrong in an argument what do they often do? Double down on their wrong answer out of pride. What do you think Facebook does?
The exact same thing. To some extent. I want you to think philosophically about this – someone in the wrong is more defensive than someone in the right. So, while not impossible, it is a lot harder to appeal a ban than it is to prevent one from happening.
#3: Don’t Imply That Facebook Endorses Your Promotions
Another easy to miss flag that many advertisers accidentally violate: You can’t use the Facebook “f” or “fb” or “facebook” or their logo on your lander.
If you do Facebook can and will shut your entire funnel down real quick as that’s trademark infringement, not a Facebook ad policy. It’s IP law, for intellectual property regulated on a federal level.
What’s the 1st rule about Fight Club?
Don’t talk about Fight Club. Apply this to Facebook branding on your site.
#4: Observe Copyright at All Times
If you’ve been shutdown a lot but never got answers, you’re like one of my clients, Steve Martinez, Vice President of Apollidon Learning.
“Trevor took us through the process of getting one of our University of Texas ad accounts reinstated (within minutes). He offered some critical insights to why our Facebook Ad Account was disabled and shared options to reduce our chances of future issues. We have a better understand of how the algorithm works and know exactly what to do and say if our account gets disabled again.”
Want to see how I can help you? Schedule a free discovery call here. Or, if you’re in a rush, prepay for your consulting call and skip the line.
What are Facebook ad policies?
Facebook and Instagram Ads Updates for 2025: What Marketers Need to Know
One of the social media and business publications I’ve written for, Social Media Examiner,Social Media Examiner, has a good update on what’s next for Facebook marketing tools:
As Meta continues to evolve its social advertising platform, AI and machine learning have become central to how ads are created, delivered, and optimized. “AI has taken over the ad platforms as well as everything else about marketing,” says Tara Zirker, founder of the Successful Ads Club and a Facebook ads expert.
For marketers who haven’t recently embraced advertising on Meta platforms, particularly those who stepped back after the iOS updates that affected social media platforms, now is the time to reconsider.
The potential reach is enormous, with over 3 billion monthly active users on Facebook and nearly 3 billion on Instagram. More importantly, Meta’s advertising remains one of the most cost-effective options available for reaching a target audience with paid social media marketing.
“Facebook is one of the best bang for your buck in terms of reaching leads and converting those leads into sales,” Zirker explains. “Looking at Facebook’s own data, you see about $20 cost per action overall on the platform, $8 cost per lead, and less than $1 per click when targeting US markets. When you compare that against other platforms, it’s still an incredible bargain.”
Zirker emphasizes that ads can significantly enhance your organic efforts.
By applying advertising dollars to warm audiences, you can achieve much stronger reach and conversions than with organic content alone. This is noteworthy, given the declining organic reach across social platforms.
Advantage+ Placements
One of the most significant changes in Meta’s advertising approach involves placement optimization. Zirker strongly advises against manually selecting placements, a practice she sees many advertisers still following.
Many advertisers worry about limiting their ads to specific platforms, particularly Instagram. However, Zirker’s analysis of numerous accounts through her membership program reveals that even with unrestricted placements, about 60-80% of the advertising budget typically goes to Instagram, where the audience is most responsive. The algorithm effectively identifies where your ads perform best.
#1: Meta’s Advantage Plus Features
Meta has introduced a suite of Advantage Plus features representing a significant shift toward AI-driven advertising. These features fall into several categories, each designed to automate and optimize different aspects of your advertising campaigns.
Speaking of changes….One of the newest changes to facebook ad policy is the CBD rules for advertising CBD on Facebook. Read my expose on these changes here: Facebook’s New CBD Ad Policy
And even more recently, a lot of folks are getting banned for Personal Attributes flag – for targeting facebook users too personally. I’ve written guides about this as well:
Already completely banned?
If you are running ads and spending $100K a year or more on ads, I can help with that.
Also check out: Top Reasons Why Facebook Disables Ad Accounts
The ad review process Facebook Ad Policy
Typically what happens is after you submit an ad for review Facebook has up to 24 hours to reject or approve the ad. But, if you have some weird Facebook ad policy block it can take longer.
One of the newest glitches is if you are adding a payment method it can block your card and disable your Facebook ad account. Make sure your bank doesn’t block Facebook’s preauth charge of $1.
Facebook ad rejected, now what?
Really the 1st thing you should do when a Facebook ad is rejected, is look carefully at each part of the ad:
1. The ad copy above the creative
2. The creative.
3. The headline beneath the ad creative
4 The landing page
5. The privacy policy.
It’s real easy to go from 1 rejected ad to a disabled Facebook business manager if you can’t diagnose fast why your ad was rejected.
Facebook account restricted from advertising?
If you have an ad account that has been disabled for Facebook ad policy violations this means the next ad asset on the chopping block is your Facebook Business Manager. You don’t want that banned right?
So you’ll want to expand your audit of the ads you’ve run. Just like in the last section I mentioned breaking down each part of the ad and reviewing it for ad policy violations, now do the same thing for the ads you’ve run in the last month.
Don’t know what to look for? Just hire me to audit your funnel and get real answers when Facebook goes silent. Book your call here.
Facebook Ad Policy Reviews and disputes
Most ad agencies make the rookie mistake of blindly appealing an ad reject or ad account getting disabled without understanding why it was shut down.
That’s a fast way to get your BM banned because if you have that same flag, that got you shut down, in more than one ad, it will all count against you.
It is much safer to audit your funnel first before appealing. Otherwise you are just rolling the dice. And when rent time comes around you don’t want to be rolling the dice with your landlord.
Facebook Ad Policy Key takeaways
‣ Facebook creates new ad policies for good PR
‣ These ad policies are run by automations
‣ These new Facebook Ad policy automations break when integrating with existing Facebook policies
‣ Beware of trademark infringements, don’t use the FB logo on your lander
‣ Audit your funnel before appealing an ad rejection
Even if you spent a week reading Facebook’s Ad Policies you’d still be at risk of a shut down for Personal Attributes simply because there are ways Facebook’s bots flag you that Facebook isn’t open about.
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to never have to get flagged again:
New Solution to Facebook Ad Policy Violations
Ad agencies: tired of getting the silent treatment from Facebook when all you want to do is get your Facebook ads live and revenue in the door?
I’m a Facebook ad policy specialist who worked at Facebook and I’m trusted by high level brands that take accuracy and results seriously.
I can show you how to resolve FB bans even if Facebook ad support is useless to resolve ad account restrictions.
Don’t lose any more money from Facebook bans and schedule your call with me now.
Don’t take my word for it, let my clients tell you what it was like working with me:
It shouldn’t be a mystery on what to do to recover from a ban. I strive for customer satisfaction, being a business owner myself.
My clients have included the social media marketing agencies of Tony Robbins, Harv Eker, and Dean Graziosi. How much is it costing you to have a disabled Facebook ad account? Talk today.
I’m featured on the Queen of Facebook Mari Smith’s Marketing Essentials Course.
If you want to skip the line before this offer ends, immediately secure expert-level Facebook consulting. Book a call with me now!
If you’re ok with waiting a bit longer, and entering the waitlist to see if you’re eligible – Schedule a call or contact me via email.
Free eBook: Top 5 Reasons Agencies Fail at Facebook
Ad Account Restricted Facebook FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to fix ad account disabled on facebook
Your first step should always be to stop active ads running with the same copy as the rejected ad, then audit your funnel for flags, and appeal using the strategy outlined in the appeal section of the FAQs
2. How to enable my disabled facebook ad account
If you have a spare ad account in your Facebook Business Manager that you can run ads from, feel free to. BUT, identify the micro and major flags FIRST, so as not to repeat the same mistake.
Ready to Finally Make the Money You Need in the Hours That Work for You & Your Family? Don’t miss out,Learn More here.
3. How to appeal a disabled facebook ad account
As far as how to appeal a disabled Facebook ad account, you’ll get 48 hours to make your appeal. The best strategy is to communicate to Meta | Facebook that:
A. You understand WHY you were banned.
B. You are committed to following the policies from here on out.
C. You have identified and REMOVED the offending content from your funnel.
You can also get some top tips on facebook ad policy in this complimentary eBook: Top 5 Reasons Agencies Fail at Facebook
4. how to get disabled ad account up and running
Depending on how long your ad account was disabled, sometimes, if your appeal is written correctly, the appeal itself CAN potentially get you reactivated, if you understand to communicate with Facebook ad support correctly.
5. How Many Policy Violations Before Account is Shut Down?
Typically, it’s a 1 to 10 ratio. For every single rejected ad that you get, you’ll want 10 Facebook ads that are approved. After a pattern of behavior is established by machine learning, from Meta’s automations, you may spiral rapidly into Facebook jail if your ratios aren’t correct. 3 consecutive ads getting rejected risks your ad account getting disabled. But, it also depends on how severe the ban is.
And, if this still all seems too confusing, your clients are yelling at you to get ads live to bring in money, simply schedule a complimentary Facebook discovery call here
6. How to remove restriction on facebook ad account
As far as removing a restriction on a Facebook ad account, if we’re talking about a disabled ad account, well, you can rehabilitate your funnel and then appeal, possibly getting it reactivated if you do this SMART (I have methods that work if you’re in the appeal window). But as far as removing a restriction from Facebook ads, see the previous FAQ answer: you need to get in a positive approval-cycle ratio.
7. how long does facebook take to review restricted ad account
Now, ask yourself, is it an election year? Have there been over 20,000 Meta employees laid off? Did you word your appeal using specific language Facebook ad support can and will respond better to? These are the factors in play. Typically, you get an answer within a week. If you have a more severe ban or are in the special ad categories, you may get an answer faster but it won’t be one you like. Severe bans end up as permanent restrictions and they deliver that ban hammer faster than other lighter Facebook ad policy restrictions.
8. how to fix your access can’t be reinstated because too much time has passed since we restricted your account
In a situation like this, your recovery options depend on what is banned:
a) Facebook Ad Account
b) Facebook Business Page
c) Facebook Business Manager
d) Facebook profile
So, each one may have a different recovery option, depending on your situation, and type of ban it is, as well as your particular niche or business’s vertical, and the health of the accounts before the ban. Want to get a pathway to get Facebook ads live? Schedule your complimentary discovery call here.
9. How To Get Your Disabled Facebook Ad Account Back
First, let me also address: personal and emotional attachments to disabled ad accounts. I’ve worked with tons of Fortune 500 level companies, and the amount of hair pulling and FML-ing over ONE ad account being disabled, is incredible. Sometimes, it’s faster, and cheaper, to just start a new ad account, and relaunch, rather than recover a tainted asset.
That being said, the same answer applies here to the instructions above, for appeals
10. How to unblock your Facebook ad account
Now, unblocking an ad account, may be possible if you get in fast enough with the right kind of messaging to Facebook ad support. While they are the gatekeepers, and don’t have any real power, they CAN talk to the right folks who, if you word your appeal right, can unblock your Facebook ad account. And of course, if you need next-level assistance, I’m always available to chat and see if it’s a good fit here.
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